With training camp already compromised by injuries, the Edmonton Oilers may not have much choice but to look outside the organization for help up front.
Last week brought word that goaltender Frederik Andersen, defenceman Alec Regula, and forwards Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark will not be taking part in camp because of injury. The losses up front sting in different ways, but Savoie and Janmark are the ones who really change the picture.
Savoie was expected to be a key secondary scorer, while Janmark has long been one of the team’s most dependable penalty-killing forwards. Without them, an already shaky depth chart looks thinner by the day.
That’s why the free-agent market suddenly feels like a realistic option. The Oilers have just under $2 million in cap space, and insider Bob Stauffer floated the idea last Wednesday that Edmonton could use it to add a current unrestricted free agent with PK experience.
“Matt Savoie (who took significant strides after the Olympic break last season) and Mattias Janmark are both PK’ers,” Stauffer wrote on X. “In theory the Edmonton Oilers have the cap space to look at potentially bringing in a current [unrestricted free agent] with PK experience.”
Nothing has happened yet, but that kind of comment tends to get Oilers fans paying attention. If management does go shopping, four names stand out as clean fits for what the team needs.
Luke Glendening is one of the more obvious possibilities. The 37-year-old is still sitting on the market, and he may be chasing what would be the final NHL deal of his career.
He split last season between the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, finishing with two goals and nine points in 70 games. He also played 10 playoff games for the Flyers and added one goal there.
The offense is limited, and that’s been true for most of his career. But Glendening has lasted 934 NHL games for a reason.
He’s spent a lot of time on the penalty kill, which makes him a logical stand-in for Janmark, and he also brings value down the middle. He won 52.9 per cent of the 649 faceoffs he took last season.
Reilly Smith is another name that fits the general profile, even if he doesn’t play center. The 35-year-old winger isn’t the same scorer he once was, but he still found the net 16 times in 69 games with the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
He hasn’t been used shorthanded as heavily as Glendening over the course of his career, but he does have plenty of PK experience. For a player whose offense has tapered off in recent years, he would not be expected to come with a huge price tag.
Eeli Tolvanen is the more intriguing offensive play. At first glance, he might look out of Edmonton’s range, but the reality is that he’s still unsigned with the season close to starting.
The 27-year-old was seemingly headed for a richer payday this offseason, yet here he is still waiting. Tolvanen has scored at least 35 points in each of the last three seasons, so he could help the Oilers’ depth scoring.
Even more important for this conversation, his defensive work and penalty-killing ability make him a strong stylistic match. The only question is whether he would be willing to take a cheaper deal.
Then there’s Adam Henrique, the familiar option. The 36-year-old’s production has fallen off sharply, and his 2025-26 line - three goals and 15 points - shows it.
But his value on the penalty kill is still real. He averaged 1:39 per game shorthanded last season, the most among Oilers forwards besides Jason Dickinson, and he also won 54 per cent of his faceoffs.
On top of that, bringing him back could give the room a lift, since he’s been widely regarded as a well-liked teammate during his two-and-a-half seasons in Edmonton.
The bigger issue in Edmonton remains Andersen’s injury, since he was supposed to be the No. 1 goaltender. How long he’s out is still unclear, and that’s a major problem for a club looking for a rebound after a disappointing 2025-26 season. A forward signing wouldn’t fix everything, but it could help the Oilers survive the early stretch until Savoie and Janmark are healthy again.
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